Nats sign veteran reliever Matt Belisle to minor league deal
VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals added another veteran reliever to their spring training mix on the eve of reporting day, signing right-hander Matt Belisle on Wednesday to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp.
Belisle, 35, has spent parts of 12 seasons in the majors, going 49-55 with a 4.34 ERA in 558 career appearances, all but 44 of them coming out of the bullpen. A workhorse for the Rockies in recent years, he pitched in 368 games from 2010-14, second only to former National Tyler Clippard among all major league relievers.
Belisle posted a 2.67 ERA in 34 appearances with the Cardinals last season but missed considerable time with elbow inflammation.
The right-hander will come to Nationals camp with an outside shot at making the club's opening day roster. There are perhaps one or two bullpen jobs up for grabs this spring.